Method of knitting



March 411, 1952 1. H. c. GREEN '2,588,718

METHOD OF KNITTING Filed NOV. 17, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Patented Mar.11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHUD GF KNI'ETING ApplicationNovember 17, 1950, Serial No. 196,157

(Cl. (i6-201) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of knitting plain hosiery fabricwhich is ornamented by diagonal lines of contrasting color composed ofknitted loops Which are interknitted with adjacent loops and are notsuperimposed thereon.

Figures l and 2 of the drawing illustrate diagrammatically a section ofknitted fabric having such a diagonal line.

Referring to the drawing, the iirst course i is assumed to have beenknit from left to right. It is composed of a series of plain knittedloops of a body yarn of a single color. Course 2 is knit in the oppositedirection, i. e., from right to left and is also composed of a series ofsimilar loops of the same yarn knitted through the loops of the firstcourse in every Wale with the exception of Wale 8 across which it isfloated as shown at I4.

The knitting of the body yarn is now discontinued and a second yarnwhich will be called herein the overlay yarn is knitted from left toright into Wale 8 as shown at I5 by being knit through the loop of thecorresponding Wale in course I. It is also knit from right to leftthrough the body yarn loop I of course 2 as shown at I l.

The knitting of the overlay yarn is now stopped and course 3 iscompleted by knitting the body yarn from left to right through all ofthe loops of course 2 including the loop I5 of the overlay yarn and withthe exception that it is not knitted but floated past loop I'I of theoverlay yarn as shown at I8. The direction of knitting is now reversedagain and course 4 is knitted from right to left of the body yarnthrough all of the loops of course 3 with the exception of Wale il!across which it is floated as shown at I9. Changing yarns again to theoverlay yarn and knitting from left to right, loop is knitted throughloop 2i in the Wale IG of course 3 and reversing direction again loop 22is also knitted through loop 23 of course 4. Then the yarn is changedagain to the body yarn and course 5 is completed by knitting it fromleft to right through all of the loops of course 4 With the exception ofthe Wale occupied by overlay yarn loop 22 behind which it is iloated asat 24. The next course 6 is also knit of the body yarn but from right toleft through all of the loops of course 5 with the exception of Wale I2across Which it is floated. body yarn is discontinued and the overlayyarn is knitted into Wale I2 of course 5 as shown at 25. Also, it isknitted into Wale I3 through body yarn loop 2S of course 6. This loopwill be ineluded in course l when this sequence is re- Then the knittingof the vlay yarn loops in each instance.

peated as required to obtain the desired length ,of diagonal stripe orline formed by the overlay yarn.

Also, as will be obvious, the overlay stripe i may be knitted in theopposite diagonal direction to form crosses, diamonds, angles or otherdecorative shapes and it may be utilized in the knitting of hosierysuch, for example, as the Well known reciprocatorily knit solid colordiamond or argyle stockings in which it may form a narrow stripebisecting in eachdiagonal direction the usual combination of diamondpatterns. On the other hand, it may be utilized to form other patternswithin such diamonds.

Although the overlay stripe described above consists of `a single loopin each course offset from the corresponding loop of the precedingcourse by a single Wale, broader stripes may be obtained by knitting twoor more consecutive loops ofthe overlay yarn in each instance andoffsetting both of them in the manner described above. In such a case,the body yarn would, of course, be iioated behind the two or more over-Also, if desired, thefoftset may be of more than a single wale thuschanging or varying the slope of the overlay stripe.

Reference herein to a course of knitting does not necessarily refer to acompelte course as in a circular knit stocking, for example, but to anypart of a fabric.

Although this invention has been shown and described as consisting ofplain knitted fabric knitted into each course of which is a single loopof another yarn, each of these loops being offset from the previoussimilar loops so that single course offsets are created, it will beunderstood that two course offsets can be produced by knitting twoidentical courses of the body yarn, each having a iioat in the same Waleor Wales, knitting into these wales the other or overlay yarn and thenrepeating the process with the exception that the float in each of thenext two courses of the body yarn is offset from the corresponding iioatin each of the two preceding courses.

I claim:

l. A method of knitting which includes the steps of knitting twoconsecutive courses of a body yarn in each of which the yarn is iioatedacross a space equal to at least one wale and knitting an overlay intoeach floated Wale, the overlay yarn in one course being knittedsubsequently to the formation of the oat and, in

3 the other course, being knitted prior to the formation of the float.

2. A method of knitting which includes the steps of knitting twoconsecutive courses of a body yarn in each of which the yarn is oatedacross a space equal to at least one Wale and knitting an overlay intoeach iloated Wale, the overlay yarn in one course being knittedsubsequently to the formation of the oat and, in the other course, beingknitted prior to the formation of the float and being offset by at leastone Wale in relation to the overlay knitted into said iirst mentionedcourse.

3. A method of knitting a design of a iirst yarn into a fabric of asecond yarn which includes the steps of knitting, in a given course, aplurality of loops of said second yarn While floating said second yarnacross Wale or Wales of said course in which said design of said firstyarn is to be incorporated; knitting in said floated Wale or Wales loopsof said first yarn; knitting, in a course next adjacent said givencourse, loops of said iirst yarn in a given Wale or Wales according tosaid design; and knitting, in said adjacent course, except in said givenWale or Wales, loops of said second yarn.

e. A method of knitting which includes the steps of knitting a partialcourse of consecutive loops of a body yarn iloating the yarn across aspace equal to that required for one loop and then completing the courseby knitting consecutive loops, changing yarns to an overlay yarn andknitting a loop through the corresponding loop of a preceding course inthe Wale containing the oat, knitting another loop of the overlay yarnthrough the loop of the rst mentioned course adiacent to the Wale inWhich a oat occurred, then knitting a complete course of a body yarnWith the exception that this yarn is floated across the Wale in Whichthe overlay yarn was last knitted and repeating this sequence asdesired, the overlay yarn loop being offset in each succeeding course byat least one Wale.

5. A method of knitting which includes the steps of knitting a partialcourse of consecutive ioops of a body yarn, oating the yarn across aspace equal to that required for one loop and then completing the courseby knitting consecutive loops, changing yarns to an overlay yarn andknitting a loop through the corresponding loop of a preceding course inthe Wale containing the float, knitting another loop of the overlay yarnthrough the loop of the rst mentioned course offset by at least one Walefrom that in which the iioat occurred, then knitting a complete courseof the body yarn With the exception that thisyarn is floated across theWale in which the ovei'lay yarn Was last knitted and repeating thissequence as desired, the overlay yarn loop being odset in eachsucceeding coure by at least one Wale.

6. A method of knitting which includes the steps of knitting a partialcourse of consecutive loops of a body yarn oating the yarn across aspace equal to that required for one or more loops and then completingthe course by knitting consecutive loops, changing yarns to an overlayyarn and knitting a loop through each of the corresponding loops of apreceding course in the Wale or Wales containing the oat, knitting thesame number of loops of the overlay yarn through loops of the iirstmentioned course oiset to the extent of at least one loop from the Waleor Wales in which the iloat occurred, then knitting a complete course ofthe body yarn With the exception that this is floated across the Wale orWales in Which the overlay yarn Was last knitted and repeating thissequence as desired, the overlay yarn loops being offset in eachsucceeding course by at least one Wale.

ISAAC H. C. GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,451,214 Green Oct. 12, 1948

